Shotgun for Girlfriend?

This is a discussion on Shotgun for Girlfriend? within the Defensive Rifles & Shotgun Discussion forums, part of the Related Topics category; Home defense loads do not have to be all that fast. The .45 at 800 or 900 feet per second is usually considered OK. If ...

Home defense loads do not have to be all that fast. The .45 at 800 or 900 feet per second is usually considered OK. If a reduced 12 ga. load doing about the same and spitting out nine .32 caliber steel balls feels good I'd be giving it serious consideration. A half dozen well placed .32 caliber pellets have to tend to make one rethink the original objective.

Now, on to your question. I made exactly the same assumption as you when buying my son his first shotgun and I was wrong. I had never owned a 20 ga. but decided when my son was 12 to do him a favor and buy him a 20 instead of a 12. Bought him a Winchester Ranger 20 ga. and it was the biggest mistake ever. It will literally beat you to pieces.

So, my recommendation is to go with the 12 ga. unless you can find a 20 ga. version of the gun you want that weighs the same as the 12 ga. version. (I'd still choose the 12, but it makes your decision more difficult) Now, to getting her familiar with the gun.
Hoss

I agree with Hoss. My first shotgun was the same 20ga Winchester Ranger he bought his son. Still have it, although the youth stock is a little short for me now.

The only 12 ga I was familiar with was my fathers Ithaca Deer Slayer, which I find to have significant recoil. On a recent outing I shot a Benelli Nova owned by my girlfriend's father. I was amazed at how similar the recoil was to the 20ga Ranger. In fact if anything it was easier to handle. I'm sure the full sized stock had something to do with this as well. The over all weight of the two shotguns was probably close due to the walnut vs polymer furniture.

My girlfriend is small as well 5' 0" around 115 lbs. She didn't mind the recoil of either, but she's a tough one.

What I have found is that it isn't always the recoil that is the problem, but that oftentimes the gun doesn't fit right for female shooters. So, they can't have the proper posture and be able to hold the gun.

I'd also suggest either a Stoeger Coachgun, because of the simple manual of arms, or a semi-auto shotgun, because they tend to have less recoil.

Also, try to find somewhere that teaches people how to use shotguns, even a local trap/skeet range that offer basic classes. She won't necessarily get the tactical side of it from that, but learning how to properly shoulder a shotgun can go a long way in getting them used to and managing the recoil.

I have a friend who was taught by someone to shoot shotguns, and she hated it, because no one ever taught her how to shoulder it. One day I took her out to bust some clays, and before we fired a shot spent a while getting her to hold the weapon correctly, and now she loves shooting 12 gauges.

As usual the good folks here have given me plenty of good advice and options to consider. Right now I considering a 12 ga Remingtom 870 Express Express Synthetic 7-Round shotgun fitted with a Knoxx SpecOps adjustable stock with recoil suppression and a tactical light. Wanna make sure if she unloads at someone it isn't me sneaking out for a late night cigarette!

(Another poster mentioned how his girlfriend couldn't see well without her glasses, and mine can't either. Plus her night vision is awful!)

Since she's pretty small the adjustable stock with reduced recoil, plus low recoil loads ought to work out very well!

My wife likes the 20ga Remington semi-auto. It's a smooth shooter and absorbs most of the recoil.

Honestly so does the 1100 12ga, but it is much heavier and a bit longer and she doesn't like it for that reason. A 12 gauge gas operated semi-auto youth model might also be a good choice, depends on her recoil tolerance.

As usual the good folks here have given me plenty of good advice and options to consider. Right now I considering a 12 ga Remingtom 870 Express Express Synthetic 7-Round shotgun fitted with a Knoxx SpecOps adjustable stock with recoil suppression and a tactical light. Wanna make sure if she unloads at someone it isn't me sneaking out for a late night cigarette!

(Another poster mentioned how his girlfriend couldn't see well without her glasses, and mine can't either. Plus her night vision is awful!)

Since she's pretty small the adjustable stock with reduced recoil, plus low recoil loads ought to work out very well!

I think you are on the right track with this. Don't be afraid to throw some weight in the stock to further reduce recoil.

As others have said, it may very well be a mistake to buy a sub gauge shotgun for recoil concerns. Most of the time, the guns are built on lighter receivers making a nice light handling gun, but the recoil is as much or more than the 12.
Also, I view it as a kick in the teeth to outfit a smaller person or woman with a smaller gun than you would carry. Why would you do that? Think about it. Are their attackers going to be smaller than yours? Are they less likely to be victims of violent crime?

Buy a proper tool, and more importantly, invest in training so she learns how to mount and swing that gun. Take the time to fit the gun. If you do so, she can shoot a 10 gauge with out an issue. Unless there is some underlying health problem, those that are recoil sensitive with shotguns simply don't know how to properly use the tool the have purchased.

With all that said, there is nothing wrong with a 20 or even a 410. Both will do the trick. Just don't make your selections for thhe wrong reasons.